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Lexington man to jail on reduced charge of child abuse
McCOOK, Neb. — A Lexington, Nebraska, man accused of sexual assault stemming from a relationship with an underaged McCook girl received jail time recently in Red Willow County District Court on a reduced charge of child abuse.
The man, 20-year-old Guillermo Zavaleta Lopez, was sentenced to 300 days in Red Willow County jail during a July 31, 2017, sentencing hearing. He was given credit for 178 days already served and his courts costs in the case were waived.
Lopez accepted a plea agreement earlier in the day reducing a Class 2 felony alleging first-degree sexual assault to a Class I misdemeanor for negligent child abuse, in addition to dismissing a Class I misdemeanor alleging he contributed to the delinquency of a child.
According to court documents, McCook police officers responding to a domestic disturbance involving a female “running up and down the street naked” subsequently restrained and covered an unruly 15-year-old McCook girl.
The girl’s parents indicated they had reported her missing while the family was attending a funeral in Denver, Colorado, earlier in the day. They returned to McCook to find the girl at home and accompanied by a then 19-year-old Lopez, who they previously believed she was involved in a relationship with. The girl’s parents attempted to restrain Lopez, which they said led to the girl attacking them and culminated with the disturbance report.
According to the investigator’s report, Lopez eventually admitted to having sexual intercourse with the girl during a previous meeting but maintained he was led to believe she was 19.
The girl was interviewed by another investigator and similarly admitted to having intercourse with Lopez during a previous encounter, while saying it wasn’t his fault because she had told him she was 19.
The girl was subsequently placed with Boys Town in Grand Island, Neb., due to the mother’s belief she would run away again and the fight that took place between her and her stepfather, which took several officers to break up, according to court documents.
Lopez was subsequently charged with a Class 2 felony, alleging he subjected another person to sexual penetration when the actor is 19 years of age or older and the victim is less than 16 years of age, in addition to a Class I misdemeanor alleging he encouraged, caused or contributed to the delinquency of a child under the age of 18.
The plea agreement reduced the charges to a lone Class I misdemeanor indicating he negligently caused a minor child to be placed in a situation that endangers her life or physical or mental health; or placed her in a situation to be sexually abused as defined by state law.